11 Breathtaking Beaches

Stuck in your cubicle? Take a mental sojourn to these sublime slivers of sand.

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Poniente Beach—Benidorm, Spain

Benidorm is a Valencian coastal town located on the Mediterranean Sea. It is popular with British and Dutch tourists. Once a small village in 1960, Benidorm has since boomed into a major business center. It manages to keep its touristy appeal due to a leisure land law that prohibits building in many areas.

(Photo: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Olüdeniz, Lycia—Turkey

The Turkish Blue Lagoon is known for its calm seas—Olüdeniz literally means “dead sea”—and amazing paragliding views. With the Mediterranean on one side and the lagoon on the other, Olüdeniz’s turquoise water will stay gorgeous for tourists as Turkey has made it a nature reserve and prohibited building around the area.

(Photo: Slow Images/Getty Images)

Agios Markos—Corfu, Greece

Off the coast of mainland Greece, the beach near the mountain village of Agios Markos is home to pristine, calm and warm water.

(Photo: Neil Overy/Getty Images)

Sea Caves—Ayia Napa, Cyprus

While the nightclubs and Waterworld (not the movie) themed waterpark rightly draw huge crowds, the real hidden gem of Ayia Napa is the rocky beach by the caves. The water is clear enough to see to the bottom, so you will have no trouble spotting the Ayia Napa Sea Monster.

(Photo: Boris SV/Getty Images)

Hanalei Bay—Kauai, Hawaii

This two-mile-long beach on the northern shore of Kauai has a gorgeous view of the open ocean. The powerful current makes it a favorite surfing hotspot; but beware the strong riptide.

(Photo: M.M. Sweet/Creative Commons)

South Male Atoll—Maldives

The waters around South Male Atoll barely cover the sand in spots, creating a stunning blue vista. The Maldives range of atoll—naturally occurring lagoons—and coral reefs make it a near-perfect spot for scuba diving.

(Photo: Peter Walton Photography/Getty Images)

Matinloc Island—Palawan, Philippines

While expensive to reach, Mantinloc Island is nevertheless a secluded beach with water as clear as a mirror and shallow enough to walk out hundreds of yards.

(Photo: Chicurel Arnaud/Getty Images)

Anse Marie-Louise Beach—Mahe Island, Seychelles

With no settled inhabitants until the French and British began to colonize the islands in the 1750s, the Seychelles Islands were anuntouched treasure for a long time. While its tiny size has created somewhat of a housing crisis, the beautiful beaches and pristine waters remain untouched.

(Photo: dhmig/creative commons)

Matira Beach—Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Sitting on Matira Beach, on the island of Bora Bora, looking out into the translucent waters will make you feel like you are staring in the newest Corona commercial.

(Photo: Randy Wells/Getty Images)

Turtle Cove—Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Despite being only the country's third largest island, Providenciales is home to half of the population of Turks and Caicos. Upon landing in the sea in 1962, American astronaut John Glenn was brought back to this tropical paradise after becoming the first human to orbit Earth in the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.

(Photo: dpross/Creative Commons)

Navagio Beach—Zakynthos, Greece

Named Shipwreck Beach for the (alleged) smuggling ship Panagiotis, which is grounded on the shore, the cove on the island of Zakynthos, off the Peloponnese, is gorgeous and secluded—and only reachable by boat.

Maggie Seeley is a managing partner of Green It! The Sustainability Team. Their vision is that every organization lives green at every level. Green It! partners inspire, train, facilitate and coach people to transform business practices, culture and conversations by developing personal and group consciousness about sustainability.

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How many of these gorgeous beaches have you visited? And, did we miss one—tell us in the comments of a beach you think is worthy of being on this list.

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